If You Don't Like What We Say, Try Living Here A Couple Days

[Yugikun]

((Jeremy Frasier, continued from The Martyr Approach))

Huh.

So.

Jeremy was still apparently the fastest person in the school.

He was walking down the bridge, trying to get a clear view of the other side. Nothing had really happened since he had left the gym. Time had passed - the sun had placed itself slightly higher in the sky - and Jeremy had moved, but he hadn't seen anyone since he had waved goodbye to Hazel and Jordan back at the radio tower. It was sorta funny, that. There was a whole world around him right now, full of people fighting and dying and doing things far differently than he was, and yet he chose to keep running into the same people. It was like this back at home, as well. Seven billion people in whole, and yet back he just tended to meet the same ones at school over and over again. He'd only meet a new one once every... week? Fortnight or so? He wasn't sure.

It was an odd thought, actually. Even back then, even if this hadn't happened, he wouldn't have even been able to meet with even 1% of the world. Maybe, in his life, he would have seven million interactions in total, but they'd for the most part just be with the same people, over and over again.

Small world.

He was at the car in front of him now. He looked around it.

No Hazel. No Jordan.

Shit.

Guess that meant he had to wait then.

There was a... metal pillar thing to the side of the point where he was on. He headed to it. Baseball bat in his left, Jackhammer in his right, Raging Bull in his pocket. He leaned up against the pillar. Slid down. Crossed his legs.

Maybe someone else would come across here? That'd be nice.

Well, depending on the circumstances, he meant. Depended on whether they were a cool dude or not.

Oh well.

He'd just have to wait and see what happened.

[Laurels]

((Alba Reyes continued from The Girl Who Owned an Island))

Alba sniffled as she continued to walk along the path. She had searched the area around the asylum, and hadn't found Brendan or Fiyori. She decided to try crossing the bridge. The asylum was too big to check alone, and they may have gone for some of the more notable places nearby now that the Danger Zones were gone. Alba wiped a tear from her cheek and began to cross the bridge.

She couldn't stop thinking of the sight of Kaitlyn bleeding out in the cave. The sight of her blood coloring the sea water, mixed with the smile on her face. It was such a creepy smile. Alba tried to think of anything else she could to distract herself from the image of Kaitlyn at the end, but nothing seemed to work. Alba's stomach felt heavy every time the image came up. It was likely she'd never be able to forget about it.

When I find Brendan, I need to give him a big hug. I owe him so many apologies.

As Alba walked across, the bags bouncing against her back, she kept the rifle by her side. It wasn't until she saw something nearby that caused her to raise the rifle slightly. She couldn't believe she was assuming the worst of someone she hadn't even fully identified, but maybe that was a curse Kaitlyn left her. After all, if her friend would try to kill her, why wouldn't a stranger?

[Yugikun]

The dull throb of the bruises on his face was the only thing that could be felt over the wind.

He'd placed the Jackhammer down to the ground next to him. His hand had gone up to his chin. His jaw. He was pressing it. Feeling the dull sensation of pain all across his bone as he did. These were bruises, yeah. He didn't imagine he'd need to see a mirror somewhere on this island in order to confirm that. When he'd gotten some of them on his arms back when he was a kid they tended to last... three, four days? That was a number that seemed about right. Sometimes they'd just appear on his arm and he'd just try to ignore them and not touch them until they went away. He wasn't quite sure whether that strategy would work here though. No showers. No fresh running water. No guarantee of a comfortable bed.

...Did bruises get infected? He hoped not. Having an infection on his face would probably suck.

He placed the baseball bat down as well. Lifted up his left hand. Brought it near his eye and pressed. Yep. Same feeling, and-

Alba.

With a gun.

Pointed straight at him.

He lifted his hands up into the air. He'd thought about it for a bit. Fighting probably wasn't the best idea here. He had to talk, probably. Do something to make her not feel like shooting him. That was doable. Alba was...

...

Alba was...

...

Alba was...

Uh.

A girl.

...

Shit, uh...

"Don't worry. I mean no harm."

[Laurels]

The boy on the bridge raised both of his hands in the air and insisted he meant no harm. Alba gulped, and looked around. There was a large gun on the ground by his feet. She had a gun, and so did he. Only this time she was the one doing the threatening. Alba clenched a bit when she realized that she was now in the position Kaitlyn had a few hours ago. The boy was afraid of her because she had the gun and was holding it up. She must have looked so terrifying to him.

"A-are you really?" Alba said, the gun shaking a bit. "B-because I just want to get across the bridge, and I don't want any trouble."

Alba glanced at the gun in her hands and the boy. She had already killed once today. She couldn't possibly kill anyone else, especially while she was alone. She had to find her friends. She had to find Brendan.

"But if you're really peaceful," Alba said, "then tell me: have you seen Brendan Harte? I was with him and another girl, but we got separated. I...I need to find him. Tell me, and I'll continue on. Please, I don't want to have to kill again."

Alba kept her gaze on the boy. She needed answers, and she needed to get across as soon as possible. That meant she was likely going to look like an aggressor to the boy, but it had to be done if she was to find Brendan.

[Yugikun]

There were a couple of questions that Jeremy could have asked her in response. Why was she looking for Brendan? Why did she want to look for Brendan? Why did she still have the gun pointed at him? Who had she seen on the way here? Who was the other girl she was talking about? They were questions. They were important. In a better world, he'd be more willing to ask them.

One thing she said caught him, though. Something she said gave him a question far more important than any of the others, though.

"Who."

His tone had dropped. His eyes had gone to hers. The fact that she had her gun zeroed on him didn't matter, now.

He needed this answered.

"Who did you kill, Alba."

[Laurels]

Alba froze. Crap, she did mention that she killed someone, didn't she? In a game to kill your peers, that's probably one of the worst things you can admit to. Heck, even Brendan seemed torn about admitting to it, and she just blabbed it to some guy she didn't know who had a scary gun at his feet.

Alba blinked and pursed her lips. She could do this. She could explain what happened, and the announcement tomorrow would confirm that.

"It was Kaitlyn," she said. "She forced me to play a game with her, and threatened to kill me if I didn't. But I couldn't do it, and she shot at me. I didn't mean to shoot her, but I didn't have a choice. She wanted to kill me."

Alba fluttered her eyes as they started to water.

"I know, it's wrong to kill even if it's self defense, but please, I just want to find my friend. So is it okay if I just walk on by?"

[Yugikun]

"Oh."

Well.

Now Jeremy honestly sorta felt like an ass?

Like, given her reaction and the words she was speaking and the desperation in her voice it was clear that she was shaken up about what she did. Jeremy knew that feeling. He'd... maybe he hadn't really felt it himself in the way she was feeling it but he got her. She killed a person. She didn't really have much of a choice in the matter as well, apparently. Being grilled about it by what maybe was the first person she met wouldn't have been a very fun feeling. He knew that. He saw that with Alex. Maybe Jeremy didn't totally understand, maybe Jeremy couldn't totally feel empathy here, but he knew he messed up. Pressed a button he shouldn't have.

And the way he reacted, too. It was him expressing relief, yeah, but it probably felt... dismissive. Rude. 'Oh, you killed your friend. That's not really a big deal.' Probably something Alba wouldn't really react well to.

...Probably something the girl holding a rifle at him wouldn't react well to, either. An explanation was owed for. An apology, also.

"Sorry. Didn't intend to grill you or dismiss you or anything. You haven't been on the announcements yet so I got surprised and was like 'oh shit, she may have killed one of my friends.'"

A brief pause.

"And yeah. Sorry about what happened. Given what you're saying and how you're saying it it doesn't really sound like all that great of an experience for you, so, uh."

He looked down. For a brief second. He looked up. All around.

"And yeah. You can pass. I'm not the toll booth guy or anything."

Wait.

Hang on a moment.

Alba was a new person.

"Mind if you answer a couple questions for me, though?"

[Laurels]

Alba sighed in relief. The boy believed her. She was glad for that. After being stuck here for six days, it was nice to meet someone who didn't immediately assume the worst about her. Granted, she didn't assume the worst about Kaitlyn, and that led to her death. Alba bit her lip and tried to push that thought back. The boy wasn't going to be any trouble, so she could walk by in peace, provided she answer a few questions first.

"Sure," she said, lowering the rifle a tad. "I can answer some questions. If you don't mind answering a few of mine as well, that is."'

Alba rubbed one of her eyes. This should be simple. Just a friendly talk, and then they could go their separate ways. Whatever got her closer to Brendan, the better.

"So, um...you can start. What do you want to know?"

[Yugikun]

"Awesome. Alright, uh..."

Okay, Alba was willing to talk. That was great. If she had news on if she'd seen the people on his list then then that could help him, a little bit. The specifics of how he wasn't quite sure of at this point but he knew it would. Maybe it'd help him find their locations, maybe what she told him could give him an idea of where their heads were at. Maybe they'd done something that he didn't know about and because of that warranted some caution when talking to them. He didn't know. They'd help, though. Definitely. He just had to know if she'd seen them. If she had come across the people he was talking about, then he'd be a happier man just for knowing that information.

He was also, admittedly, already slightly happy when she'd lowered her gun. Relieved, the better word was. It meant that he didn't have to pick up his. It meant that they wouldn't have to fight. It meant that this wouldn't end up like Junko again.

...And yeah. That was probably the best part. Maybe he wouldn't have to do it again. Maybe he could just talk and then be able to do his things and after that figure out what was next.

Yeah.

That'd make him happy.

He had to ask the question first, though.

"Okay. First question. Have you seen any of the following? Emma Luz. Serena Waters. Alessio Rigano. Clarice Halwood. Anyone else possibly important. Jasmine Reed, and Caedyn Miller."

[Laurels]

Alba sniffled as the boy listed off a bunch of names. She tried to take them all in, but then felt even worse. She hadn't seen a single person he asked about. She knew a few of them were killers, like Alessio Rigano and Caedyn Miller, but that was it. She was starting to feel upset she didn't know more seniors in her school. That could have been a lot more helpful. Then again, just knowing someone didn't matter if she hadn't actually seen them.

"Um, sorry, I haven't seen any of them. Uh...who have I seen?"

Alba started to count on her fingers everyone she could remember she saw on the island.

"I've seen Bryony Adams, some girl named Sandra, Arthur-oh wait, he died. Darnit. Um, I've also seen Kimiko Kao, Brendan Harte, Jonathan, Candice...uh...who else..."

Alba raised a brow.

"Oh, and yesterday I saw a boy named Jae who tried to kill me and Brendan. I also saw Bradley and Bernadette die, but that's about it for who I've seen."

Alba scratched the back of her head.

"Sorry, I'm not much use to you, am I?"

[Yugikun]

Alternatively: feel incredibly disappointed because apparently Alba hadn't seen any of those people either.

Which sucked, for obvious reasons, but really the big feeling Jeremy got was one more of surprise than anything. Was it really a big enough world here that she hadn't seen anyone there? Apparently. Unless she was lying. Why would she, though?

...She could have taken out one of them.

...He was probably being paranoid.

Yeah.

He was.

"It's... fine. Little weird though."

He pushed his back up against the wall, straightening himself up against it.

"I think I have a couple questions about the people you mentioned seeing, but it's your turn to ask right now. Have at."

[Laurels]

Alba wasn't sure what the guy meant when he said it was a little weird. Was it weird that she didn't see a single one of the people he was asking about, or weird that she met the people she did? Alba didn't know, but decided not to worry about it since he wanted to give her a chance to ask him questions.

"Well, the main ones are Brendan Harte and Fiyori. I was just with them, so if you've seen them, that'd help."

Alba sniffled and brushed some hair back.

"But if you've seen Bryony or Jonathan or Candice too, that'd be great. I'd rather not know if you've seen Kimiko or Jae."

[Yugikun]

"Wait, you're with Fiyori?"

Shit, that was a name Jeremy hadn't thought of in a while. Fiyori Senay. She was... a friend? An acquaintance? He wasn't quite sure. There was a point where she had annoyed him, yeah. When she had blamed him for something he couldn't remember that he knew he didn't do. When she'd brought up bad memories. She was... fun though? Friendly. She'd talked with him a little, back then. About... things he couldn't remember. She'd given him food. He remembered that. He had fun with her. He remembered that. He also... wanted to say sorry. He remembered that. How he'd suddenly left. How he'd gotten angry and how he didn't want to show it and how he'd removed himself from the situation in order to do that.

Ideally, he would have asked if he could follow Alba. Go to see Fiyori. Give the apology himself, as minor as it was.

The other main name she'd given prevented that from happening, though.

Because Brendan... was a prat. A special snowflake. Someone Jeremy did not like, even back then. He was one of those people who expected the whole world to revolve around him. One of those people who just couldn't understand why people might not like him or any of the things he did. Jeremy had heard his name on the announcements, of course. He'd killed two people. Jeremy had a pretty good idea as to why. Even if he hadn't, though? Jeremy wouldn't have asked. The idea of having to spend his last days with fucking Brendan wasn't really an appealing one, to be honest.

So no.

Jeremy couldn't meet up with Fiyori.

Maybe he could do the next best thing though?

"I've been around that area of the island all morning and I haven't seen anyone other than my two buddies," he said, pointing at the side he'd came from. "So no, I haven't seen any of the people you've mentioned."

...

Wait.

Hang on a moment.

"Except for Jonathan, though. I've seen him. He came to the bell tower when I rang it the first day and I think I may have seen him back at the Doctor's offices yesterday?"

Maybe.

He'd seen a shape sorta like that when he was walking through.

He could have been wrong, though.

"Anyway. My turn to ask now."

He reached up, stretched out his- ow, bruise - hair a little bit. Ruffled it.

"The three killers you mentioned. You think that there's a chance that they're going to do it again?"

[Laurels]

Alba felt slightly disappointed that the guy said he checked the area Alba was planning to go, but hadn't seen Brendan nor Fiyori. She'd probably go just in case he missed them right when he left the area. But hey, even islands had their limits, so there had to be some point in which she'd discover them.

Knowing about Jonathan didn't help much either. They were near the Doctor's Offices yesterday, but they didn't see Jonathan. Then again, they were locked in a room and didn't check much of the surrounding area. It'd be tempting to find Jonathan, but Brendan and Fiyori were her priorities right now. They had to know about what happened with Kaitlyn, and they had to help her come to terms with what happened.

The guy then asked if she thought the three people would kill again. Alba nodded.

"Well, I guess," she said. "Kimiko has killed a lot of people since Bradley. Jae hasn't killed a lot, but if yesterday was any indication, then he'd probably kill again."

"Um, who's the third?"

[Yugikun]

The answers Alba gave were pretty standard. Possibly. Most likely. Kimiko had killed again after Alba had seen her, and according to her, Min-jae was apparently not exactly being very nice right now. The former didn't really give him that much to note. Kimiko killed four people. That wasn't really a good thing. She'd taken out Nancy, though, and he hadn't really seen anything that confirmed whether she was a threat to him or not. It'd be something he'd try to figure out, though. If he met her and she didn't try to stab him or anyone else, then that'd be great. Min-jae, however, was a bigger problem. Apparently he was going to try and do it again, which wasn't good. Not for Jeremy, not for his goals.

And not good for Hazel or Jordan either. They mentioned something about him. Wanting to see him. If he was going to try and do it again, then that wasn't good for either of the other two.

But Jeremy had his gun, though.

And it he had to use it, then so be it.

The last thing she said, though, confused him. She didn't know who the third person he was talking about was. DId she not know? Did she refuse to believe it or something? Jeremy wasn't sure, but he figured that it'd be best to say so. For the sake of full disclosure, or something like that.

"I'm talking about Brendan."

Wait, was that rude? It probably was. She was apparently friends with him (somehow), it probably wasn't very nice to say 'oh, I'm thinking that he might kill his third.'

Well.

It was possible.

Still, best to explain.

"I mean, like, given that you're with him you probably have a better idea on what he's like than I do, but I dunno. All I've heard is that he killed two people who weren't killers themselves. That probably means he'll do it again, and I don't really like that."